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G. W. PRICE & A. BARRETT.

AUTOMATIC ELECTRIC ANNUNOIATOR.

No. 331,257. Patented Nov. 2-4. 1885.

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0. W. PRICE & A. BARRETT. AUTOMATIC ELECTRIC ANNUNGIATOR.

No. 331,257. Patented Nov. 24. 1885.

W1 m msusz s JJVVEJVTOR s 67in Aw Attorney 8 UNITED STATES i ATENT CHARLES w. PRICE, oF'NEw YORK, n. Y., AND ALBERT BAR ETT, or

KANSAS CITY, MIssOURI.

AUTOMATIC ELECTRIC ANNUNCIATOR.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 331,257, dated November 24, 1885.

Application filed May 15, 1885. Serial No. 165,633, (No model.)

for telephone central offices; and it consists in the novel construction and combination of devices hereinafter described, having in view the provision of means for rendering the operation of the annunciator more certain and reliable than heretofore, and for effecting an automatic replacement or return of the shutters or drops to their normal positions after the same have been actuated in signaling the central office, or by accidental causes.

The general construction of and method of operating the central-office annunciators now in use is well understood. The shutters or drops are maintained in their normal position by catches connected to the armatures of electro-magnets on the substation circuits. Whenever a subscriber rings up the central office, his signaling-current effects a release of the shutter or drop,which falls down and displays the calling number. The shutter or drop is then beyond electromagnetic control, and must be restored or replaced in its normal position by the hand of an operator or attendant. Such manipulation of the shutters entails labor, extra attention, and loss of time on the part of the operators, and, moreover, is a source of injury to the shutters and other delicate mechanism, which are soon out of repair and order from continual handling.-

Again, the entrance of an abnormal current, as from lightning, frequently throws down a number of the shutters, all of which must, of course, be at once lifted and restored to their operative positions.

In accomplishing the object of our invention, which is to avoid the difficulties and inconveniences above referred to, we reverse the usual arrangement and operation of the drop or shutter; hence, instead of employing a catch to hold the shutter upright or at normal, we have it upon trunnions or pivotal screws, so that it occupies a horizontal position with the numbered face or surface down.

position until released, a pair of contacts are arranged relatively to the armature so as to close a local-battery circuit through the coils of the magnet as the armature approaches the poles. This local circuit is completed through contacts on the spring-jack of the calling-line, I

and when a plug is inserted such contacts are separated. The local circuit is thus broken and the shutter falls to its normal position, ready to be actuated by the next call from the sub-station to which it belongs.

Our invention may be carried into effect in a'variety of ways; but we deem it necessary to describe and illustrate-but one practical embodiment of the same, it being left to the skill and experience of the mechanic and elec trician to modify or adapt the details to various requirements without departing from the spirit of the invention.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a diagram illustrating our improvements as applied to an annunciator, two annunciatormagnets and their appurtenances being shown in side elevation, and the local-battery circuit, spring-jacks, and substations in connection therewith sufficiently outlined. Fig. 2 is a diagram of same parts, the magnets being shown in plan. Fig. 3 is a front elevation of an annunciator drop and fittings, and Fig. 4. a rear elevation of the same.

For the purposes of our invention the shutter or drop A is hung by means of trunnions, or the laterally-projecting ends of a pivotal bar, 13, upon the screws 1) b, of the trunnion frame or brackets O, and is weighted on its outer or upper part, as shown at a, so as to fall outwardly and downwardly, in order to assume a horizontal position, from which it is to be raised in signaling the central office. The number of the sub-station to which the shutter belongs is indicated on its under surface, and' the latter isconsequently displayed when the shutter is lifted or turned up to a vertical position. The armature D of the annunciator-magnet is hungby means of its trunnions D, upon a bracket, E, attached to the annunciator-board above the poles of the magnet. A wire or rod, F, couples the shutter at its middle part to the armature-lever E below the armature, so that as the armature approaches the poles of the magnet the shutter will be turned up by such movement. On the inner side of the lever is a platinum point, e, opposing a contact-spring, e, fastened to a stud, 6 to which leads a wire, 6 r

In approaching the poles of the magnet the armature closes the contacts 6 e, which, as shown, are in circuit with a local battery, G, leading through the coils of the magnets and also through spring g and contact 9 of the spring-jack g". The conditions being as stated, a current direct from asub-station from ground over wire 1 to magnet 0, bell T, to wire 2, to spring 9 of jack g ,to contact 9, thence through wire to and through magnet A to ground Y, thus completing circuit and energizing the annunciator-magnet, so as to attract the armature toward the poles and close contacts 6 e. The usual current over a line is sufficient to so attract the armature and to close the contacts e e. The rod F has a little loose play at its ends, so that the contacts will be closed before the armature begins to draw on the shutter; hence the annunciator is very sensitive, no unnecessary or appreciable work being imposed on the light magnetic current,

the lifting of the shutter and its maintenance in a vertical position being controlled by the local current.

When the local circuit is closed, the direc-' tion of the current is as follows: Starting from a pole or battery, G, the current follows wires 9 6 through contacts 6 6 over lever E into bracket E, thence by wires 10 2 to spring g of jack, and by wires 5 6 to and from magnet back to battery, thus making a complete galvanic circuit, the current through which energizes the annunciator-magnet and assists in lifting the shutter to a vertical position and maintaining it in such position until the local circuit is again broken. A suitable stop, k, located below theshutterJimits its movement under the pull of the armature and prevents it from being drawn beyond a vertical plane.

Now, when the central office is called and a connection asked, the operator inserts a plug in the mouth of the jack, and by such action separates the contacts 9 9, thus opening the local circuit and releasing the armature of the annunciator-magnet. The shutter then drops to horizontal, and is in position for the next call from the subscriber, the contacts 6 6 being separated by the retraction of the armaturelever.

It will be seen from the above that the linecircuit is solid and complete through the annunciator and to ground, and hence is not disturbed in bringing in the local current, the contacts eebeing in aseparate and independent circuit or shunt.

avoiding the delay and inconvenience incident to a manual restoration of the shutters one at a time.

Where our improvements are applied, as they may be, to the multiple-switch board, all the annunciators are under effective control, since if any line is plugged into at any of the suitable boards the shutter of the calling-line is immediately released, and the operator whose duty it would be to answer that call knows that it has been answered. This is quite helpful during rushes, when calls are very numerous on any one board.

For night service we purpose employing a bell, as shown at I, in the local circuit of each annunciator-magnet, with a switch, K, to cut out the same during the day.

What we claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. In electro-magnetic annunciators, the combination, with an electro-magnet and its pivoted armature, of an annunciator drop or shutter hung on trunnions and connected to said armature by a wire or connecting-rod at-. tached to said shutter above its pivotal point and to the free end of the armature, whereby when the magnet is energized said drop or shutter will be raised, and when said magnet is discharged the drop or shutter will automatically fall, substantially as described.

2. The combination, with an electro-magnet located in a telephonic call circuit, of a drop or shutter coupled or. connected to the armature of said magnet and operated thereby, and a separate electrical circuit leading through the coils of said magnets and through contacts which are closed and opened by the armature, substantially as described. I

3. The combination, with an electro-magnet located in a telephonic-call circuit, of a drop or shutter connected to and operated by the armature of said magnet, aseparate electrical circuit leading through the coils of said elec-' ro-magnet and through contacts which are closed and opened by the armature, and means, substantially as described, whereby such separate circuit is opened when a line is plugged for telephonic connection.

4. The combination, in a telephonic annunciator, of an electro-magnet in a normallyclosed line'circuit and a normally-open local circuit, a connecting jack having separate contacts through which both circuits are completed, an armature provided with means for closing and opening said local circuit, contacts controlled by said armature, and an annunciator shutter or drop connected to said armature and adapted to be lifted or moved thereby, substantially as and for the purpose described.

5. The combination, in a telephonic annunciator,with the annunciator-magnets and their armatures, said magnets being located in normally-closed line-circuits and separate normally-open local-battery circuits leading from a common battery through separate contacts attached to the spring-jacks, of a switch located between the local battery and the electro-magnets, substantially as and for the purpose described.

6. In a telephonic annunciator, the combination, with an electro-magnet and its armature, said magnet being located in a telephonic circuit and in local-battery circuit adapted CHARLES W. PRICE. ALBERT BARRETT.

Witnesses to signature of Charles W. Price:

GEORGE F. EsoHBAoH, A. A. CoNNoLLY.

Witnesses to signature of Albert Barrett:

W. A. SMITH, WM. J. WOLLMAN. 

